The perils of experimental design
Experimental designs are like asking a Genie for a wish. You’ll be sorry if you don’t word it carefully. Let’s say we want to know whether cable ads targeting specific segments of the population or...
View ArticleDigital consultants: Online ad scarcity a myth
The scarcity of online ad inventory has been greatly exaggerated. That’s what several digital media strategists told C&E in the wake of a New York Times report that prompted a flurry of interest in...
View ArticleWaking the sleeping Hispanic giant
Fifteen years ago, I drove a crew of college students from Fresno north through California’s Central Valley to Dos Palos, a sleepy farming town surrounded by cattle pastures and almond groves. Our goal...
View ArticleHow phones are still convincing you to vote
Driving the use of technology and data down the ballot is one of the hallmarks of the 2014 election cycle, and political phones are no exception. While digital has an easier time garnering headlines,...
View ArticleThe Influencers 50
The digital innovation we’ve seen in the campaign world over the past two presidential election cycles has altered the industry’s business model in a way that will shape campaigns and political...
View ArticleEbola sparks worry for some Dallas poll workers
Some poll workers in Dallas have decided to sit out Election Day 2014 citing worries over Ebola, according to the Dallas County Elections Administrator. Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole told C&E...
View ArticleAn election night guide for candidates and consultants
Election Day is more than just the day voters pass their judgment on your candidate and campaign. It’s the culmination of months of emotion. Whether you’re the candidate, campaign manager, or just the...
View ArticleWe Can Already Write the Post-Mortem on this year's election
With less than a week remaining until Election Day 2014, there are plenty of races still too close to call. But even without knowing who will win every race, we can already write the post-mortem for...
View ArticleMovers & Shakers: Andy Sere
Andy Sere is an ad maker at DMM Media, a Republican media firm. He was previously chief of staff for Rep. David McKinley and a regional communications director at the National Republican Congressional...
View ArticleShop Talk: A formula for reaching Latino voters?
For now, Democrats lead the way when it comes to appealing to Latino voters, but these four strategists say neither party has nailed it just yet. This issue's shoptalkers: Adrian Pantoja, senior...
View ArticleDemocrats ran and lost on Obama playbook
Democrats ran the Obama 2012 playbook this cycle and fell flat. The 2014 midterms were a historic drubbing for the president's party. It was the first time Republicans had flipped more than two...
View ArticleDigital Distinction in a Crowded Louisiana House Race
Frankly many Republican firms made a lot of money in 2012 and didn’t see the need to recalibrate after the devastating losses. We thought that a strategic revamp was imperative if we were going to...
View ArticleBegging for Dollars
This cycle will be remembered as the year that email fundraising got weird. Senators “begged” and “pleaded” for money. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sent multiple, manic emails...
View ArticleViewability is the 2014 buzzword, but placement is still key
This year’s campaigns up and down the ballot adopted the best-of-the-best digital media tactics that emerged from the last presidential race. Some campaigns, however, did more. They used integration of...
View ArticleA post-election checklist for consultants and staffers
The end of an election cycle can feel anti-climactic. For those of us who have been on campaigns for a long time, it’s as if the hourglass has simply run out. We know it’ll only be so long before it...
View ArticleReaching Cord-cutting voters
It’s not uncommon for today’s voters to have no landline phone, live in apartment buildings that can’t be canvassed, and rarely see television ads given that many don’t subscribe to cable. These are...
View Article2014's two key digital technologies
The identity of the two key digital technologies in the 2014 election cycle is clear: email fundraising and data-driven grassroots outreach. Let’s start with the fundraising. If it weren’t for online...
View ArticleMidterm polling failures call for a rethink
When polling failed to predict former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s primary loss in June, you could chalk it up to the fact that the race was only polled twice publicly, with the last survey done...
View ArticleWhat really worked in 2014?
If the 2008 election represented the birth of broad digital organizing, it looked like digital might grow up in 2014, but what we actually saw was an awkward teenager reaching some new heights while...
View ArticleJump start your 2016 job search
Dust from the midterm donnybrook is settling, but the campaign world is already moving on. The dawn of a campaign cycle with an open race for the White House means lots of well-funded and well-staffed...
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